Transplant

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Transplant - book excerpt

Chapter 1

NEW YORK CITY (AP)---One of the most horrific episodes in the city’s history was uncovered last night as missing supermodel Geri Lindsey was found crawling on the street near 137th Street and Lenox Avenue. She directed police to a basement apartment in a brownstone on Lenox Avenue, where she had been held captive. Police found NBA superstar Jerome Browne and a man known as Combo trying to enter a room where four prominent NYC doctors were locked inside. Browne had also been reported missing since Fourth of July.

Lindsey had had her left leg amputated at the hip, and Browne’s left arm had been removed at the shoulder. Combo’s physical condition was termed “indescribable” by police. Police rescued four women who were all amputees, each stating that they had been kidnapped and had had their limbs removed by the surgeons. A fifth woman, Anita Brown, was arrested as an accomplice in the abductions.

Dr. Adam Rauch, Dr. Noah Birnbaum, Dr. Abe Javits and Dr. Isaac Vadim, were arrested and charged for multiple federal and state offenses, including kidnapping, murder and aggravated mayhem. FBI officials arrived at the District Attorney’s office this morning to discuss details of the case.

Police investigators found a makeshift operating room in the underground cellar where the doctors were found in a steel-encased safe room. There was also a meat locker where dozens of torsos, limbs and body parts had been frozen in storage. One detective called it “a medical facility from hell”.

Officials at Bellevue Hospital refused to comment on the incident. Director Jacob Horowitz expressed his sympathy and concern for the victims and assured them that the medical community at the facility remained available to support all those impacted by the tragedy.

The entire country and the rest of the world were focused on the Big Apple as the American President issued a statement declaring that “these young people and their families will not be forsaken in this moment of horror and grief.” He urged the medical community and the nations of the world to step forth in offering whatever technological resources they could to restore an acceptable quality of life to the victims. Japanese researchers contacted Bellevue and told Dr. Horowitz of Robotic Prosthetics that they had developed what could be partly controlled by brain waves and nerve impulses. Terminal illness patients offered to donate limbs to the victims, many saying that “the psychopaths should be able to sew them on the way they cut them off”.

Police Chief Joel Madden and Captain Ty Willard met with Homicide Detective Tommy Jackson and his partner, Orrin Rampersad, shortly after the White House press conference was aired. The NYPD was once again dealing with a crack epidemic in Harlem, and another war had broken out between the 137th Street Gang and the Salvadoran MS-13, along with elements of the Colombian cartel. It was an inopportune time for the Vice Squad, and they were pressing Captain Willard to wrap up the investigation with haste, as they were trying to avert a drug war in the streets without undue distraction.

“Gentlemen, this is one of the biggest scandals to rock the medical community in over a decade,” Lieutenant Dwight Shreve opened the meeting. “The doctors taken into custody are world-renowned transplant surgeons and robotic limb experts. The DA’s Office is certain that, if they make bail, they’ll have no choice but to seek asylum overseas to avoid a miscarriage of justice. There’s our no-win situation. If we hold them too tight, it automatically prejudices the jury. If we can’t come up with this, Dr. Cyclops, the doctors don’t have a leg to stand on. New York City loses four of its finest surgeons and the medical community gets a black eye.”

“What’s this Dr. Cyclops stuff?” Jackson asked. Tommy Jackson was a four-year man who had catapulted his way into the detective ranks with outstanding work in six major drug cases. He transferred to Homicide for the chance to score his seventh big case at far less risk. “It sounds like a bullshit alibi those quacks are coming up with. You telling me there’s no meat on that bone?”

“I’ll tell you something, Dr. Cyclops is the only thing that keeps this thing turning into a major shitstorm,” Captain Willard spoke up. He was an African-American of Kenyan descent with skin black as pitch. Known as a by-the-book traditionalist, he wore his uniform to work, unlike Chief Madden, who dressed in stylish designer suits. “Now, it seems to me that four medical geniuses could come up with a better alibi than that. The whole thing sounds so hokey, that it’s got to be true. They’ll be staking their lives on it in court.”

“It’s like Adolf Hitler once said, the bigger the lie, the more likely people will believe it to be true,” Orrin Rampersad postulated. He was a swarthy West Indian who had also transferred from Vice and paired with the icy-eyed Jackson. “Even if he doesn’t exist, the doctors’ testimony will lead some people to believe otherwise. In a murder trial, they just have to persuade one juror.”

“That’s your job, guys,” Chief Madden, a dapper hazel-eyed mulatto, spoke up. “We’ll need you to find out whether there is a Dr. Cyclops and, if there is, to bring him in. If there’s no such person, the DA’s got a slam-dunk. If you guys bag him and book him, the doctors are back to work at Bellevue next week.”

“So where do we start?” Jackson asked.

“We’ll want you to interview the doctors, see if you can find consistencies and holes in their stories, then get out there and do the footwork,” Shreve instructed them. “They’ll be arraigned this morning, and most likely they’ll remain at MCC until the trial begins. You guys’ll get to interview them there, then you’ll have the rest of the week to track down Cyclops.”

“So, who do you want to start with, Rauch?” Jackson lit a cigarette as he slipped into Rampersad’s Le Mans in the underground garage, where they had parked.

“Sounds good to me.” Orrin was non-committal as he gunned the engine. “I might’ve wanted to save the best for last. That Birnbaum guy looks like the soft touch to me. He’d be the one with the weakest story.”

“Okay, so we’ll talk to Birnbaum.” Tommy blew a stream of smoke out the opened window. “What do you think the chances are of the league letting Browne play with that arm?”

“Can you imagine?” Orrin cackled. “To hell with Browne, I’d be trying to sign that guy, Combo. It’d be like playing basketball against Darth Vader.”

“You know, putting these guys away is gonna be like tossing the formula to a cure for cancer into a trash can fire.” Tommy watched as they headed down Centre Street towards Park Row. “Can you imagine people with those robotic limbs out there? You’re turning geeks into the Six Million Dollar Man. Those two guys were smashing through a steel door when the cops showed up. Un-fuggin-believable. Think about the military applications. Our guys get taken out on the field in Afghanistan, they come back at cyborg strength. There’s no way you lock these guys up and throw the key away.”

“I think you run into the same number of problems.” Orrin ran a light as he turned onto Park Row, eliciting a cacophony of car horns for his efforts. “It’s like those steroid freaks; your body grows but your ligaments don’t. Eventually, they tear and break from all the unnatural stress. Can you imagine Browne doing a slam-dunk and having his robot arm still hanging onto the rim when he comes down?”

The detectives shared a laugh as they pulled up to the MCC at 150 Park Row. Orrin flashed his credentials and they parked the car on the employees’ lot, then entered the facility, and made arrangements to have Noah Birnbaum brought to a small interview room.

Birnbaum stood about 5’5” and weighed 135 pounds. His brown curly hair was well-trimmed and he had a boyish face saddened by the fact that he could be in a predicament such as this. He was glad to have visitors to whom he could profess his innocence, though he feared he was going to be put through the wringer again when he learned they were detectives. He remained affable as Tommy and Orrin introduced themselves, explaining they were assigned to the case and were trying to get some background details.

“The four of us were childhood friends. We were born and raised together in Brooklyn Heights,” Noah explained over a cup of coffee after the detectives switched on their recorder and sat down at the table in the green-painted room. “You know how Jewish families always want their sons to grow up to be doctors or lawyers. Well, we all decided to be doctors, and that’s all we’d talk about. All our games centered around the medical field. Either we’d be paramedics, rescuing people from burning buildings, or doctors, performing brain or heart surgeries, or we’d be out in some jungle, saving people from cannibals or drug gangs.”

“Yeah, we’d play cops and robbers and I was the only one who wanted to be a cop.” Tommy’s ice-blue eyes lightened. “Go on.”

“We were just this incredible team,” Noah reminisced. “We studied together. It was like a game to see if we could all come home with straight A-plusses on our report cards. We especially focused on math and science because we knew those were going to be our meal tickets. We were computer-savvy when the other kids were getting through X-Box. We started ordering these medical courses online and, by the time we were enrolled in NYU, we were already studying sophomore material on our own. We began spreading in different directions so that, together, we would have the combined knowledge to become pioneers in the medical field. My focus was on neurosurgery. Adam was into artificial limb research. Abe got into nerve surgery and Isaac specialized in plastic surgery. We figured if we pooled our resources and abilities, we might one day help restore people’s limbs and internal organs.”

“So, were you successful?” Orrin asked.

“There was a woman, Walterine Shabazz. She was suffering from extensive organ deterioration as a side effect of her bout with lung cancer. She was like one of those women you see on those anti-smoking commercials. She responded positively to treatment and I would have to say we saved her life.”

“She couldn’t have gotten better treatment at Bellevue?”

“Not the kind we gave her. She couldn’t have afforded it, and the system couldn’t have provided it. Lots of our resources were paid for out of our own pockets. Plus, there were a lot of experimental procedures that the hospital would never have sanctioned.”

“Like what?” Tommy wrinkled his brow. “Putting a robotic arm on Jerome Browne?”

“Nobody could possibly understand what happened, how it all began, how it all worked out,” Noah lowered his eyes dejectedly.

“Give us a chance,” Orrin shrugged. “We got time, and so do you.”

“Okay,” Noah relented. “I guess I do.”

***

Noah recalled the Christmas holidays of last year, right after graduation and the beginning of their internship at Bellevue Hospital. The four of them had gone to Lillie’s Union Square, a Victorian-themed bar and restaurant not far from the hospital. The crowd was caught up in the holiday spirit, and the friends were enjoying the revelry. They felt somewhat self-conscious ordering non-alcoholic drinks, but took comfort in the fact they were being charged almost as much as one paid for cheap beer.

“Well, here’s to success,” Adam waxed philosophical as they all raised their glasses. “We spent our whole lives together trying to find this door, and we’re here. We knocked, and they let us in.”

“The journey’s just begun,” Abe, a squat man with prematurely-graying black hair, pointed out. “We’ve been spending so much time getting situated at the hospital, we haven’t had a decent team meeting in weeks. And now with these holidays, oy vey!”

“Oy vey?” Isaac, a tall, athletically built man with thick curly black hair, chided him. “Oy vey? You not only look like your father, but now you’re starting to sound like him! You keep it up, the goys are gonna cross you off their Christmas lists out of respect for your beliefs!”

“That would be terrible,” Abe mocked. “That means I won’t be able to exchange an ugly-looking tie for a pair of socks and underwear.”

“Well, maybe the rest of you have had your time compromised by your families and your obligations, but us bachelors have been able to dedicate our quality time to less important things.” Adam was the only one with Scotch in his glass. “I finally made a breakthrough on Project X.”

“What do you mean, a breakthrough?” Isaac stared at him.

“I guess you’ll have to come out to the house to find out.” Adam smiled mysteriously.

“I thought we agreed we were dropping that one.” Abe squinted. “Didn’t we go over all the spiritual ramifications with the rabbi? We always agreed that we would never do anything that would violate the principles of the Talmud.”

“I didn’t agree with anything, the rest of you did,” Adam pointed out. “Science and religion have always been at odds with one another. We’ve gone over this time and again. If you wanted to stand on religious ground, you should’ve went to Yeshiva. Besides, isn’t the Talmud all about the greater good of mankind? All right, suppose we cause some animals some pain, or we take chances down the line and come up short somewhere? We are looking at the long-range result, my friends, a future where no one dies or lives a barren life because of the loss of a limb or an organ. Nothing in life is attained without pain or loss, at least nothing worthwhile.”

“I will never forget the sight of that rabbit who came off the anesthetic trying to chew his own leg off because of the pain.” Isaac stared at the top of the bar. “That is not science. That is Dr. Mengele at Auschwitz.”

“I’m past that,” Adam replied. “Why don’t we take a cab back to my place and see where I’m at right now?”

The friends dutifully finished their drinks and made their way through the throng, walking out onto the snow-covered sidewalk and hailing a taxi. Each had mixed thoughts about Adam having continued working on his own. He was the most gung-ho on the project, though Isaac would be the last to call the joint venture quits, for whatever reason. Isaac had been called upon to perform restorative surgery on some of the most pitiful burn victims one could imagine. There was little progress being done in helping these people progress beyond horrible and terrible, and anything extra he could bring to the field was a good thing.

Of the four, Abe was the most stable yet the most cautious in proceeding along their chosen path. At thirty, he was the oldest of the group and had a wife and four kids to feed. As a peripheral nerve surgeon, he had state-of-the-art equipment and the latest research and development info at his fingertips. Though he was a mere intern, he did not foresee any undue delay in progressing rapidly up the ranks and becoming a leader in the field. He saw lots of tenured physicians who were both indecisive and tentative at the table, frightened at the prospect of doing too much or too little and being hit with a career-destroying malpractice suit. Though he was not a firebrand by any means, his father always taught him that procrastination and hesitation were two of the deadliest sins. Regardless of right or wrong, one always made a commitment during the hour of decision. Abe Javits had no problem standing by his decisions, and only hoped that sticking with his friends in this endeavor was not a bad move.

It was Noah himself who was the weak link in the chain. He was the exact opposite of Abe in vacillating and being insecure, and relied on his friends’ support to make his way through trying times. Yet he was considered by them as the most technically proficient in being able to interpret new theories and ideas and apply them in the field. They often found themselves bringing articles in medical journals to him for his interpretation. He could read between the lines and give them the insight they needed to resolve a situation they were dealing with at the hospital.

They arrived at Adam’s brownstone on Grace Court overlooking the Promenade at Brooklyn Heights that his father had purchased over a lifetime and was worth millions in today’s spiraling market. Adam Sr. had completely remodeled the home and turned the grade level into a realtor’s dream, while turning the second floor into an apartment for Adam, and reserving the third floor for himself and his wife. After he died, Adam kept the top floor in palatial shape while converting the basement into a research laboratory. The four friends would converge there to work on their joint projects, but had not gotten together since September upon beginning their internships at Bellevue.

“Mm-wwoo-ahhhahahahah!” Isaac put on his best Bela Lugosi accent as they entered through the basement door beneath the upper staircase. “Welcome to the Rauch laboratory!”

“Where’s Igor?” Abe tried to be lighthearted. “You oughta fire his ass. It smells like a cave down here.”

“C’mon, you guys, keep it down,” Adam insisted. “My mom’s got ears like a bat.”

“Maybe she turned into one and started hanging around down here,” Abe joked, getting a light elbow in the ribs from Adam. “Hey, watch it, I can still kick your ass.”

“In your dreams, old man.” Adam switched on the fluorescent light, revealing the surprisingly spacious research area, replete with two aluminum dissecting tables, shelves full of chemicals and beakers, jars and numerous accessories. There was a bookshelf packed with medical books alongside a workstation with two computers. Along the far wall were cages reserved for lab animals, though only one appeared to be occupied at this time. “Go on, guys, take a look.”

The three of them walked over to the cage and peered in at the sleeping animal. They saw a rabbit sleeping in a nest of shredded newspaper, and as they inspected it they saw what appeared to be two black rear legs beneath its snow-white belly.

“Oh my God, Adam,” Isaac shook his head. “You never give up, do you?”

“He’s in good shape after two weeks,” Adam said proudly. “The body is not rejecting the limbs and he’s showing no signs of discomfort. The limbs aren’t functional but, then again, I didn’t have Abe here to do the nerve surgery.”

“So, what does this prove?” Abe demanded. “You can put legs back on someone, even though they don’t work? I think most of the amputees coming back from Afghanistan would rather have the mechanical ones. At least they can run around on them.”

“Look behind you,” Adam suggested.

The three men turned around and saw a black cat stumbling up to greet them. It had a noticeable limp in its hind legs, both of which were white from joints to paws. It came up and began rubbing affectionately against them.

“Holy shit.” Abe dropped to his haunches and began inspecting the cat. He could feel the surgical incisions where the rear legs were attached, but could discern no abnormalities. If it were not for the color, the operation would have seemed as a successful effort to have reattached two severed limbs. “You did this all by yourself?”

“Couldn’t have done it without you guys,” Adam beamed with pride. “Gentlemen, I see this as a green light from the Almighty. There is no reason on earth why this should not continue. We are on the verge of some of the most groundbreaking advancements in the history of medicine.”

“Okay, I’m still in,” Isaac consented as he and Noah knelt down to inspect the cat themselves. “Let’s just get through Hanukkah so I’m not away from home at sundown. Even the hospital’s making that much of a concession.”

“Hey, I know you and Abe have families, but at least Noah can come by and help out. That okay with you, Noah?”

“Sure,” Noah shrugged.

“Now that we’ve turned the corner, we need to find a new workplace,” Adam insisted. “A location where we’ll be able to interact with the community and apply our knowledge in providing services. Think of it as being a MASH unit, improvising and adapting while performing meatball surgery.”

“Hold on,” Isaac grimaced. “Are you talking about working without a license outside of an approved facility? If we get caught, we’ll never practice medicine again.”

“All I ask is that you hear me out,” Adam insisted.

They retired to the rest area he had set up that resembled a waiting room in a doctor’s office, and they sat around and listened to Adam’s presentation. They debated long into the night, and finally agreed to continue pursuing a lifelong dream that would eventually become a demonic nightmare.